Descendants 16 - Psalm of a Soul
Psalm of a Soul is issue 16 in The Descendants, and the fourth issue in Volume 2, Magic and Machines. It is the prelude to The Devil Came Down to Mayfield arc. Summary It is spring break. Cyn, Laurel and Melissa are on a boat upon the St. Anne River. They're attempting to study an astral disturbance. Laurel and Melissa have modified a remotely operated underwater vehicle (or ROV), lent to them from the Oceanic Institute, via General Pratt. The modifications allow it to be driven by Kareem. The astral disturbance is a hole, visible within and without the Astral, and a glowing green light is visible through it. Laurel tells them that ROCIC's SIU raided Deep Nineteen, but the place was left empty. Kareem, controlling the ROV explores the anomaly. The hole appears to be larger than before and as he cycles through wavelengths and the electromagnetic spectrum, the anomaly doesn't reflect anything. Kareem extends the ROV's manipulator, which makes static occur on the boat. The water pressure rises, as the barometric drops. Kareem says the hole doesn't go through to the Astral but some third unknown plane. A bright flash of green light happens and the screens on the boat signal a network overload. Laurel says they have to go to her workshop they have three hours to find Kareem. Vincent Liedecker yells at a subordinate for asking him if he saw the light. He tells him to find the cause. He turns back to his interview, Remington Haut AKA Samael and Vorpal. Liedecker offers them both jobs on his payroll. Samael refuses as he doesn't want to be on the payroll. Vorpal asks why Liedecker wants two hitman on payroll. She also specifies she won't kill children, animals or in the face of Samael, clergy. Vorpal accepts and is sent to find out who is moving heavy weapons on the docks without permission. At Laurel's workshop, Laurel tells Melissa and Cyn, she's called everyone and they'll arrive soon. The astral transponder network was knocked out by the astral storm caused by the incident, it'll take ten minutes to reboot them. Some were damaged, but five were already damaged by some interference Laurel hadn't isolated yet. The team decide to split up and check the dead transponders, in case Kareem is nearby. A middle-eastern boy wakes up in South Council, Mayfield. He's stopped by Denise Banks who is worried for him, she attempts to take him to the police but when she touches his shoulder he reads her mind and overwhelmed, tells her to go on with her lunch plans. Alexis, sends Laurel the data dump from one of the transponders, Laurel checks the data and realises that the astral storm was caused by Kareem being pushed onto the Material plane. He's alive, they just have to find him. Kareem is at a bus stop, debilitated by the telepathic voices of everyone near him. He senses a familiar voice and runs for the docks. Hope is at the docks. Laurel placed the transponder where she thought it might be years until the property was purchased, but there is a new fence around it. Hope sneaks in, finding the place well lit. A group of men brag about how rich their deal will make them. Another warns them to keep it quiet as Mayfield is more dangerous than New York. One of the men is spreading talk about how dangerous psionics are that he heard from Reverend Stiles, even bringing up The New Dehli Incident. Hope sneaks further into the building, only to meet Vorpal. Vorpal thinks she's there for the weapon smugglers, but Hope tells she only needs to get to the roof. Vorpal tells the man with Reverend Stiles' flyer that Stiles got his certification online. They ask if she's the buyer and she lets them think she is. She argues with them, calling them bigoted as she gets herself in range. Vorpal attacks them and after one almost blinds her she opens his veins all up his arms. Hope interrupts telling her she can't kill them, even if they are bigots. She attempts to heal the one Vorpal opened, but Vorpal grabs her almost cutting Hope, but one of the smugglers shoots and she takes them both to the ground to avoid it. Hope lets her mood elevation power out, making two of them men flee in fear and the other two starting firing their weapons. Kareem, still amnesiac senses the danger Melissa is in, he's too far to reach her by running but he unleashes part of the Astral he inadvertedly took with him. Laurel is able to detect him, and the Warehouse's transponder is suddenly working. Hope heals the man Vorpal sliced open. He tells them the place is going to explode and they escape. Vorpal pulls Hope from the water and tells her to get a handle on her power and that a white gi is not great for stealth and becomes a brick around the neck in the water and to learn to fight or stay off the front lines. Kareem speaks to Melissa and tells her that he is unsure how he made himself visible on the Material plane. She calls Laurel for pickup. Vorpal confronts the weapons smugglers as they start talking about psionics again telling Al, who she attempted to kill that he needs to tell Reverend Stiles, why he lived. The portal to the unknown realm is gone, Laurel's not sure where. Liedecker tells Vorpal he is disappointed he didn't get the weapons, but that Vorpal shut them down so mission accomplished. A mysterious figure has come through the portal, it spots one of Reverend Stiles' flyers and thinks that humans are good at providing food for his kind. The men from the warehouse Category:Magic and Machines Category:The Devil Came Down To Mayfield